Once Upon A Time
by iheartamianplusnatan
Summary: "What were Queen Isabel and the Vespers planning? Why would it come into action on his eighteenth birthday? And why did the mysterious killer Casper Wyoming seem to recognize him?" Prince Ian Damien Kabra never suspected that he would ever get tangled up in a plot as thick as this one. What is the mysterious "It" plan? Will Ian ever find out? Please read until third chapter! Amian!
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! This is like a Prince and the Peasant story, with Ian as the Prince, and Amy as the, well, "peasant". Hope you enjoy it!**

Prologue:

Prince Ian was the son of Queen Isabel Marie Kabra and King Vikram Damien Kabra, the rulers of the Kingdom of Eraweth. The King had died mysteriously in a freak horse accident, and so the Queen had been ruling alone ever since the King died. Everybody in the Kingdom adored their beautiful and kind Queen. They admired the way she ruled the land single-handedly and kept the invaders away. Yes, Queen Isabel was loved by many. Her two children, Prince Ian and Princess Natalie, were ages 17 and 15. The townspeople had never seen either of them, but many stories were passed around about how sweet Queen Isabel never let them out of the castle for fear that they would die like her husband, and she would truly be all alone. "Poor Queen Isabel," they murmured. "Our poor, poor Queen." They also talked a lot about the two children, the Prince and the Princess. "Prince Ian will come of age soon, for he is nearly eighteen. Then he will take the crown and he will be called King. He will surely be as wise of a leader as his father, the King, and his mother, the Queen. Oh, the Queen! She will not have to rule alone anymore! She will have comfort in knowing that she has help keeping the invaders away!"

They would stare up at the castle reverently, thinking about their beautiful Queen and their surely handsome Prince, not knowing what really went on behind those stain glass windows.

**Oooh! Much longer chapter will follow! :)**

**~ iheartamianplusnatan**


	2. the Royal Family

**Here's the longer chapter that I promised! Hope you enjoy!**

"IAN DAMIAN KABRA!" A harsh voice sliced the heavy morning air, sending sleepy servants rushing for cover. A tall lady in a beautiful long red gown with gold jewelry going up and down her arms strode out of the throne room with a murderous look on her breathtaking face, marring her features. Behind her hurried a group of about seven or so nobles, walking quickly and trying to reason with the lady. "But, please, Lady Queen, you need to sign this scroll! It includes the shipment information for Gleaned City! If they don't have any food, they will surely starve!"

"What do I care of some shabby village? No, there are more important matters to discuss. IAN! WHERE are you?!"

The Queen strode into the bedchambers and stopped in front of a large wooden door with silver engravings going down the sides. She pounded on the door. "Come now, Ian! I COMMAND YOU!"

A seventeen year old boy opened the door. He had dark handsome locks and brown eyes. His skin was lightly tinted olive. He gave a sideways smirk. "Why, hello Mother."

Queen Isabel's eyes got dangerously bright. "Son. Do you have any inkling of why I'm here?"

Ian shrugged, oblivious to his mother's outrage. "Why no, Mother. Is it time for polo lessons?"

The Queen snarled. "I could have your head for that insolence, boy."

Ian smiled lightly. "Oh, of course mother. And kill off your only heir, why not? Just like all your other amazing decisions, I'm sure."

Isabel only laughed. "You are definitely not ready to run a Kingdom, _Prince_. You have no flair. No style. Only laziness." She glanced around his messy room in distaste. "This stone needs to be polished immediately." She turned to her closest advisor, Fisken "Fetch me a maid. Now."

She addressed the Prince again. "Ian. I called for you to bring down some scrolls an HOUR ago. Did it ever occur to you that to keep the Queen waiting is a deadly mistake?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "Oh, I would, Mother, but your office is so far away."

"You lazy excuse of a son!" spat the Queen. She huffed and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "You will never amount to anything."

Ian's eyes flashed like his mothers, burning. "That's where you're wrong, Mother."

"Me? Wrong? Ha! Never." Isabel smiled knowingly. "In fact, you will be coming of age soon, no? You will need a lady to rule by your side. I will see if there are any princesses available. Or, on that thought, any Kings. Oh, not for you, of course. For me! Wouldn't it be splendid if we could expand our Kingdom into another?"

Ian slammed the door. Isabel stood outside for a moment, and then muttered to herself, "He lives to spite me." Then she turned to her other assistant, Alistairen. "Go fetch me a list of all the Princesses that are of age. And not married. Oh, scratch that. Married or unmarried, who cares. We can…arrange…something. I need a Princess to rule at my son's side."

And with that, the Queen of Eraweth spun around and floated down the hall, regal as ever.

…

Ian, Prince of Eraweth, hated his life.

Sure, he was extremely handsome. He'd known that for quite some time. Every time he walked down the hallway to dinner, the maids giggled and pointed. Ian always ignored them. "Commoners must be ignored." That's what his mother always said. And that was the only thing that the Prince and the Queen agreed on. The commoners were nothing more than toys, puppets, things that you could control but would be tossed away when broken.

Ian turned to his guard, Hamilton, who was kicking his feet around in a bored fashion. "Hamilton, go fetch me a book. One I haven't already read."

Hamilton nodded and stood up. "What kind of book, my Lord?"

"Oh, I don't care. Now got going!" Hamilton left for the Royal Libraries, and Ian was left with his own thoughts again. He reached for a paperback lying on the ground. A story about a young boy who lived in a dry place with no rain- a desert, they called it. He was a poor boy, but one day he saved the King from a vicious, drunk, attacker. The boy was brought to the palace and ended up falling in love with, and eventually, marrying the Princess and becoming King. Ian thought the story itself was ridiculous, only meant for poor people to feel better about themselves and to give them false hopes, he assumed, but it was the pictures that captured his attention. Trees with long leaves and brown hairy fruits hanging down. Bright colorful stands and yellow and red and purple fruits. A tall orange sun. Sand. Pretty women, scantily clad, wearing beautiful jewels. And, best of all, a huge white palace with gold columns, a sparkling fountain, and lots and lots of green.

Ian's palace was a weathered gray stone. The people of his kingdom scarcely saw the sun; it was always hidden behind the clouds. It rained often. Not many people wore jewelry, and it was never warm, always cold, so you could not walk outside without a thick fur coat. Ian hated the normality of it all, he wanted his Kingdom to shine, to stand out, to be the best, the greatest, the jewel of the land.

Of course, it would all be his adviser's doing. Ian would just tell them what to do. As a rule, Ian never did any work. He liked to lay back and send his endless servants scurrying around to do all the work. Work was unsightly for a Prince.

Hamilton came back into the room just as Ian was closing the book. He laid a thick book made of blue leather and engraved in gold on Ian's desk and paused for a moment. "Anything else you need, my Lord?"

Ian shook his head. "No, guard, that is fine. Now, go outside and let me be for a minute. Immediately."

Hamilton nodded and bowed. "As you wish." He turned around and closed the door behind his, standing guard outside Ian's door.

Ian rolled his eyes and picked up the book. _The Elder Warrior_. After a brief inspection of the yellowing pages, Ian could see that it was a book about fighting. Perfect.

In the story, a Prince went off to war to save the Lady he loved. Ian paused after the first few pages. Ian was a Prince. Why wasn't he fighting? Or doing anything that this Prince did? Ian didn't give speeches. He didn't spend hours grooming his horse. He didn't have fencing matches, only private lessons, though Ian suspected that was because he was so horrible at it. Usually, Ian would have grimaced at the thought of getting up and actually doing things, but this time, he pondered it. Would it rally be so bad to go see what his Kingdom was like? He had never actually been out there before. He had just supposed it was because Mother did not want them to sully their hands with commoners.

Ian got up. He would ask Mother. Maybe this afternoon at dinner.

And who knew? Maybe she would let him give a speech to his people. The more Ian thought about it, the more he was surprised to find that he liked the idea.

…

Dinner, thankfully, was a quiet meal. All the servants were hurrying around with their noon activities, so it was just The Queen, Fisken and Alistairen, his sister the Princess Natalie and her maids Reagana and Madisonelle, and Ian and his guard, Hamilton. The maids and Hamilton sat at one of the smaller tables, laughing and chatting. Fisken and Alistairen were at another table, with their head close together, talking in low whispers. Queen Isabel, of course, was seated at the throne of honor, with Ian on one side and Natalie on the other.

Of course, the meal started out with Natalie complaining.

"Mother," she whined, stabbing her fork at her fish viciously, as if she wanted to attack it. "Princess Lesliana of Noelen has been betrothed to the Prince of Mirautlan, and she's only six months older than me! And Prince Roerto is so handsome! And rich! Mother, if you don't pick someone for me NOW, all the good Princes will be taken!"

Isabel growled. "Natalia, I thought I told you not to speak of this! We will find the right man for you when the time comes. Now be quiet. This matter is dropped."

Natalie pretended that Mother had not even spoken. "And Bailey, you remember her from boarding school, she lives in Southfield Manor, she is going to be married to Lord Falconmore's son! You know, the dark one with the gorgeous eyes and the light silky locks. That one! And she tells me the good news and asks me who I am betrothed to and I tell her- nobody! I am the Princess, the most beautiful girl in the land, the richest, most powerful girl in the Kingdom, and yet I shall die an old maid! How is that fair? I am the PRINCESS! I should have a happily ever after! I SHOULD I SHOULD I SHOULD!"

Isabel cut apart her haggis calmly. "Don't you think you're being a bit melodramatic, dear?"

"Mother! This isn't melodrama!" Natalie flung her hands in the air melodramatically.

"Mmmhhmm. Oh, and while we're on the subject of marriage," Isabel gave Ian a cold smile, "I've arranged for the King of Knighten to come down. King Charles Knighten the Seventh. Isn't that sweet? He's bringing his daughter, Princess Sinead, to meet you. Hopefully you'll be betrothed in a minute!"

Ian sighed. "Really, Mother. I don't need to be betrothed."

Isabel laughed, not a sweet laugh, but an _oh-listen-to-this-silly-child_ laugh that Ian hated. He was about to start yelling at his mother, but then he remembered. He had wanted to ask Mother about visiting the village.

"So, Mother. I was wondering, you know, are there any things outside of the palace that I could do?"

Isabel's head snapped up. "Excuse me?"

Ian suddenly felt self-conscious. "Well, you know, there might be some polo competitions that I could participate in…or maybe hunts! I could give speeches! Anything! I need to know my people better!"

Isabel had a calm smile on her face, but Ian could see that her eyes were narrowing. "Ian. We have talked about this, and I was under the impression that you agreed with me. We do NOT visit the peasents! Ever! They do their own things, and we do ours! And besides, we are much too busy to be visiting orphanages and such. That is for the lords and ladies to do, not us. You will not speak of this ever again!"

Ian was shocked at the Queens outburst, but what was even more shocking was Natalie's giggles. "Oh, Mother! You sound just like that wicked witch mother from that play we saw the other night, Tangled, or something of the sort. Doesn't she, Ian?" Natalie smiled to herself.

Isabel made a scary growling sound, but forced a smile onto her face. "Oh, Natalia, how silly! I am nothing like her! For heaven's sake, it's not like I'm keeping you….locked up!...in here! How absurd!"

The rest of the meal passed in silence. Even after the meal was over and Ian returned to his chambers, he couldn't help thinking about what Princess Natalie had said. She was just joking, but it WAS almost like the Queen kept them locked up in the castle. Ian looked out his window at the winding road that led to the closest village, Saarsad. What was beyond that road? What did the Queen not want Ian and Natalie to see?

After three cups of tea and much pacing, Ian finally made a decision. As night crept into the castle, he stole away to the smithy and grabbed a knife, donned some of Hamilton's peasant riding clothes, jumped on a horse from the stables, and followed the road leading to Saarstad and away from the only home he's ever known, the only place he'd ever been. Prince Ian Damien Kabra, Heir to the throne of Eraweth, galloped towards Saarstad.

**:D I'll be making another chapter soon. PLEASE PLEASEPLEASE review! THANK YOU!**


	3. Escape

**Hey guys! I'm back from camping (and from having one of the weirdest birthdays in my life) and BACK TO FANFICTION! YAY! So, I made this nice-kinda long chappie for...al you fanfictioners out there! And I need to post this really quickly, b/c I need to go to swim practice NOW! :( GO VILLAGE MILL!**

Just a little ways away from Saarstad, Ian spotted some small thatched huts.

It was almost nine o'clock, and Ian needed directions to get to Saarstad. He considered, for a moment, guessing which road to take, but he eventually decided to ask one of the farmer families. The first hut was filled with loud crying babies, and when the wispy-looking mother opened the door, she scowled and said, "No room fer Cap'n Gaurds here, sir. Don't ev'n got enuf room fer me childrens, sir. Keep a' movin'."

"No!" Ian protested. "I'm not a Captain Guard! I just need directions to….." but the woman had already slammed the small door.

Ian had far better luck with the next house along the road. It was an elderly couple, and they were more than happy to give directions and information to the handsome young Captain Guard. They said that Saarstad was about five miles, and that he should take the cobblestone road to get there. Ian thanked them and was about to leave when he asked, "Why do you think that I'm the Captain Guard?"

"Well, aren't you? You have his horse, anyway. See the emblem on the saddle? That's the emblem of the Captain Guard," the old lady pointed out.

"Oh." Ian said. "Right. I – uh – AM the Captain Guard, I was just….testing you! Yes! Since you have passed the riddle, um, the Prince will bless you and give you lots of gold!"

"Oh!" The elderly couple looked bewildered but pleased at the same time. Oh, well, in that case, have a wonderful stay in town, Captain. Would you like a pouch of fresh bread for your journey?"

Ian gladly accepted, and when he was out of sight of their cottage, he ripped off the saddle and flung it to the ground. Just his luck that he would choose the most important horse in the stables. Mother would certainly be unhappy with him.

About five miles later, Ian came upon a huge set of gates. There was a man sitting on top of a barrel with a bottle in his hand. The man looked up and said, in a slightly slurred voice, "Welcome to Saarstad, man! Hope you have a – a nice stay!"

Ian nodded his head and moved the horse forward. It was late in the evening now, and Ian could hear loud music being played in the pubs, and loud hearty laughter coming out of them.

Ian rode his horse for a while until he saw a sign for the 'Saarstad Public House and Pub'. A grimy little boy brought Ian's horse to the stables as he entered the room. He asked the landlady for a map of the city, and she just laughed at him. "What good would a map be if you can't read or write, sir?" she asked.

Ian frowned. "You can't read or write?" he asked. The lady again laughed and motioned for her friends to come over. "Look, Em, this guy's from out of town. He goes 'You can't read or write?'" The landlady and 'Em' shared a laugh, and then she turned back to me. "Most of the town can't read or write. You are from out of town, right?"

"Oh, of course, yes. My name is...Hudson. Hudson Elliot. Like the river in Dellia."

"Oh, you's from Dellia? Always wanted to visit there, nice hills and all that, don't you Mary?" Em commented. The landlady, Mary, nodded vigorously. "But why're you coming here, to Saarstad? Seems to me like Dellia would be a nice enough place to be."

Ian shrugged. "Just, you know, touring these parts. And, of course, I had to visit Eraweth. Now, do you know anything about the…..royal family here?"

"Oh, yes sir, Mr. Elliot. The Queen is the most beautiful and generous Queen in the land! Why, you must have heard of her! She keeps away the invaders from the outlands! She has a son and a daughter, although they're not seen very often."

Em smiled a little dreamily. "Aye, can ye just imagine marrying the Prince or Princess and living up in that big ole' castle? And havin' the Queen as yer mother –in –law! All that finery and all those balls!"

Mary and Em burst into peals of giggles. Ian thanked them for their helpful information and asked where he could find someone who could read and write. "Well," Mary said, "the Bookeepers are the only ones that can, but they're strange people, strange indeed. I wouldn't go down in Cully Avenue unless I was looking for trouble. Isn't that right, Em?"

Ian left the Saarstad Public House and Pub and asked a beggar man where he could find Cully Avenue. The man raised a shaking finger towards the other side of town, and Ian tossed him a coin for the completely unhelpful advice. The man gave Ian a toothless smile and hurried down the street. After he consulted a few more people, Ian eventually found himself standing in front of a sign that read Cully Street. This seemed to be the only quiet street in the whole town of Saarstad, and there was only one pub. The rest were bookstores, post offices, a coffee shop, and homes.

Ian started walking towards the pub when a hand caught his cloak and pulled him backwards. A man stepped out of the shadows holding a shining knife. This man, unlike most of the people hanging around the streets, was clean shaven and good-looking, he had almost white blonde hair and pale eyes, but there was something sinister about him. When he spoke, he didn't have the distinct commoner accent, but one that was highly polished and proper. He was probably about the same age as Ian. "Why are you here, of all places, Robin? You knew that we would be waiting for you."

Ian mind spun. Had that man just called him Robin? Who the heck was Robin?

"Pardon me, sir. I was just looking for a bookkeeper. Am I in the wrong place? I don't have my lantern with me, you see, and-"

"Ha." The man moved closer. "Don't try and fool us, because you're not fooling anyo-" the man held up his lantern, and his face paled. "You're….you're not…." Then, the man took off running down the street. "Wait!" Ian called, but he had already disappeared. Utterly nonplussed, Ian carefully started walking down the dark alleyway.

"Why are you REALLY here?"

Ian whirled around. He had sworn he's heard a voice. A girl's voice…..

A cloaked figure that Ian had taken for a shadow detached itself from a dark doorway and stepped forward. All Ian could see was a small freckled face until the person stepped into the dim shadow made by the lamp. It was a girl with flaming red hair and jade green eyes. She eyes Ian warily, and then threw back her cape. "Nobody comes to the Bookkeepers at night, especially not NOW. So why are you here?"

Ian's brain froze. He knew that he couldn't tell ANYONE that he was the Prince. The guards would find out, and Ian would end up locked in his bedroom. For eternity. "I'm just….sightseeing. I'm from Dellia. I heard that the Bookkeepers were the only ones who could read or write."

The girl tilted her head. "You can read and write? That's surprising. Not many people can around these parts."

Ian shrugged. "I had excellent education in…um….Dellia."

The girl nodded and then fell silent. Ian felt uncomfortable with the way she seemed to be sizing him up, searching him with those green eyes. Just to break the silence, he said, "That man, he called me Robin. Who's Robin?"

The girl motioned for Ian to follow her inside the doorway that she was standing outside of. "Follow me. You probably want explanations, but I can't give them to you out here."

Ian paused. "How do I know I can trust you?"

The girl laughed; a light tinkling sound. "How do _I_ know I can trust _you_? I have excellent senses, and I sense that you can be trusted with the biggest secret in Eraweth. Besides, you're not even from here."

Ian nodded. "OK, so I can trust you. What's your name?"

The girl looked straight at him and answered, "Amy. My name is Amy Cahill."


	4. Secrets

**Hi guys! I'm having so much fun writing this! Before this were just filler chapters, but this one is important. Really important. Please pay close attention to ALL the details! This is probably the most intricate story I have ever written!**

**I hope you like it! Enter a certain redhead that we all love! Sorry, no Amian YET, but there will be, I promise. Sorry, all you Dian fans. **

**In this Dan, is Amy's older brother. Hope that clears up any confusion.**

**If you want to be one of the Cahills in the next chapter, please just PM me. Thanks! :)**

**What's the most Vesper song you have ever heard? For me, it's Be Prepared from the Lion King. :D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues! **

Ian was led into a darkly lit living room, and Amy motioned for him to sit down on the couch. She herself sat opposite him on a red, gilded chair. Ian noticed that the furniture itself was rich and beautiful, but the room was small and cramped. In ran his hand along the gold painted edge and said, "This is beautiful furniture."

Amy smiled happily. "Thanks. It was my grandmother, Grace's. But let's get to the point. That man you saw out there is named Casper Wyoming. Does that name ring a bell?"

Ian shook his head, no. Amy continued. "He works for a group of thugs under order of the Queen of Eraweth. Now, before you contradict, let me tell you that the Queen-"

" – is actually horrible." Ian finished. Amy looked surprised. "You know? But….how?"

Ian shrugged. "You know…gossip. In…Dellia."

"Anyways, this group is called the Vespers. They target people who know about the Queen, and about….other stuff. They hunt them down and kill them. Sometimes they're nice and they make up some kind of crime and send them to the Queen's court. There they decide whether to hang or imprison the person.

"That's where we come in. I'm part of an anti-vesper-like group called the Cahills."

"Like your last name." Ian pointed out.

Amy nodded. "As I was about to say, it was my Grandmother, Grace Cahill, who founded it. We now have more members that you could imagine! We even have some inside the castle, spying on the Queen and her children."

"Wait," Ian suppressed a gasp. "Did you just say…..the children?"

"Of course! The whole royal family is evil. They say her little son is going to inherit in a few years, and he'll just make the whole thing even more corrupt. Our spies say so."

"And, who might those spies be? I mean, I wouldn't know who they are, but just in case I happen to, ya know, see them in the streets or anything.."

"Well, there's Hamilton, Reagana, and Madison, who work as maids and butlers for the little brats. Then there's Fisken and Alistairen. Fisken was my grandmother's brother, and Alistairen an old supporter."

"Got it. Just wondering." Ian squirmed in his seat. "And…this Robin character. Who Casper mistook me for. Who is he?"

Amy looked uncomfortable. "I was just coming to that part. Jake Robin, now the organization's biggest supporter. He mainly does his…work at night. If you can call it work. It's mainly hunting down Vespers and, you know, doing off with them."

"He tortures them?" Ian asked, slightly horrified, since he had never actually killed a person before and never intended to in his life. "Isn't that against the law?"

Amy gave another wry smile. "And who's going to catch him? It's not like the guards care; they're too drunk to see straight most of the time."

Ian made a mental note to have a little chat with the Captain Guard about this, and then felt surprised. When had he ever made a mental note to DO something?

Amy was still talking about this infamous Jake Robin. "Dan doesn't like him. He thinks his methods are too violent." Ian had to agree with this mysterious Dan. "Dan is also one of the most prominent members of the Cahills, although he views the hunting of Vespers in a more…..comical way. Dan is a practical joker, always was, always will be. Even at the age of twenty, he's still putting gravy in my tea bags! But anyway, when he catches a Vesper, he usually just ships them off to some exotic place."

Ian raised his eyebrows. "Ah. I see"

There was a thump on the floor above them, and Ian saw a figure coming down the stairs. His blond hair was tousled and his eyes were the exact same shade as Amy's ; jade green. When he saw Amy sitting on the couch with a strange boy, he immediately scowled. "Amy! Did you pick up another stray? This one looks too good to be a stray, though. Hmmmmm, maybe….someone who shops down at Madame Ribouttes. That shirt is in her new line of peasent clothing. The soldier's love to buy it. You can tell from the ends of the shirt, see how they aren't frayed. Also, the trousers are from the same shop, see the shimmer when it hits the light? And the shoes, completely unworn, so that he could not have been a traveler. And besides, where's his pack?"

Ian looked annoyed. "Well, maybe I bought a new wardrobe as soon as I got here. And how do you even know that stuff?"

"He has photographic memory," Amy explained.

Dan shook his head. "Madame Ribouette's has been out of business for a year or so, so you couldn'y have just gotten those clothes."

Amy looked at Ian, eyes wide. "So, you, you ARE from Earweth, not from Dellia? You LIED to me?"

Dan nodded. "Looks like it. C'mon, let's haul this cobra to the side of the road. I say we dump him in the manure pile, don't you, sis?"

"Wait, sis? Amy, this Dan is you BROTHER? Is Jake, too?"

"What?!" Dan exploded. "Amy! You told him our secrets! He could be a spy!"

Amy looked miserable. "I thought he was from out of town! And he ran into Casper Wyoming!"

Dan's scowl slid off his face. "Casper WYOMING? Not Casper the Baker from down the street? Are you SURE it was Wyoming?"

"I'm sure it was him. You can tell, from the scar."

"Well, did you take all the safety precautions that I told you to?"

"Well, no."

"Amy! You're only seventeen! He would've killed you in the blink of an eye!"

"I was about to hide, when I heard Casper talking to someone. He was calling the person Robin."

"Aaaw, running out to save your Jakey-poo? He can handle himself FINE, Amy."

"Shut UP Dan! Anyway, Casper got really scared and ran away, and I saw that it wasn't Jake it was…" Amy gestured towards Ian. "Him."

Dan scowled. "And who might be, HIM?"

"Uh, uh, ummm"

"Amy! You didn't even think to ask for his name!"

Ian cleared his throat. "My name I shall withhold. And no, I do not come from Dellia. You were right Dan. I, uh, I work in the castle."

Amy and Dan gasped. Ian thought it was quite comical, but he continued, "I was running away from my job as a..…baker. So, naturally, I came here. I hate the Queen. Everyone in the castle does."

Amy nodded, but her face was still pale. "Why didn't you say that beforehand?"

Ian shrugged. "I wasn't sure if I could trust you."

Amy softened. She looked up at her brother. "See, Dan? It's fine. He'll be leaving anyway."

Dan held up his hands in a _stop everything _gesture. "It seems like this…..Cobra, as I shall call him, could actually be helpful to us." He turned to face Ian. "You say that you hate the Queen?"

Ian nodded, perplexed. Dan continued, "If Cobra here, say, returned to his job as a baker, he could be our inside man, and give us information about the Queens doings. He could help us solve It!"

Amy nodded, exited. She turned to Ian. "Will you do it? Please say you will!"

"Hold up," Ian protested. "I don't even know what to do! And what the heck is It?"

Dan turned to Amy. "You didn't tell him about It?"

"I was GETTING to that, Dan!" Amy mumbled.

"So, anyway, Cobra, You probably know about the Cahills. You know about the Vespers. Cahills = good. Vespers = bad. The Vespers are working for the Queen, which means that the Queen and the royal family = bad. The Vespers are doing something bad, but we, the Cahills, don't know what, we only know that we need to stop it. And we do know one thing though. This elaborate plan that the Vespers have set up will only start when the Prince turns eighteen, and takes his place as the King of Eraweth.

"The Vespers know that we're on to them. They try to get rid of us, and, of course, the Queen is helping them. That's why we need to keep our identity secret, but they know that most of us are Bookkeepers. Of course, some of us are cold-blooded assassins that just like to rebel for the fun of it….."

"Dan!" Amy warned.

"Sorry. Amy gets very protective of her boyfriend."

"Just get on with the story."

"Alright. So, we call the Vesper's plan, "It". We have some spies down in the castle, and they've been reporting some strange things. Apparently, the Prince sends his butler down to the library a lot, so he must be up to something," Ian chuckled inwardly at this. As if. "And the Queen has been keeping a lot of time locked up in her room."

Ian nodded. "Got it. So, you want me to go back to the castle, resume my position, and, sort of, spy on the royal family?"

"That's the idea. Then, report back to us as much as you can."

"But don't put yourself into any danger!" Amy said. "We don't want you to get, you know, sent to the gallows."

Ian gulped. "I'll be safe. Thanks for everything. I won't fail you."

"Let's hope not, Cobra," Dan replied, moving towards the door.

"One last question." Ian stood. "Why did this Casper Wyoming look so frightened when he saw who I really was? Wouldn't he have just killed me?"

Dan shook his head, and Amy looked worried as she replied, "I have no idea. Maybe you just got lucky."

Ian nodded. "Okay, I'll be off. See you in a few days." Right as he was about to leave, a figure turned down Cully Street and ran towards the house. Dan and Ian tensed, but Amy leapt up and yelled, "Jake!" happily.

Jake, a dark haired, handsome man of about 21, burst into the house. He had strong arms and legs, a handsome clefted chin, and dark beady eyes that swept the room and fixed Ian with a cold, calculating stare. Then, he saw Amy, and picked her up and spun her around, an act that made Ian nauseated. They tenderly kissed, and Ian looked at Dan, whose face was twisted into something like rage and annoyance. Ian felt the same way. Amy almost felt like kindred now, and watching this man sucking her face off pushed his almost nonexistent brotherly feeling to the surface. Ian nodded quickly to Dan and set off down the street, deep in thought.

What were Queen Isabel and the Vespers planning? Why would it come into action on his eighteenth birthday? And why did the mysterious killer Casper Wyoming seem to recognize him?


	5. Changes

**Hi! I'm back with more...**

**I'm kinda on hiatus (as AmianNatan4ever puts it) with Cahill Idol, so if anyone could PM me some ideas, that would be GREAT! Thanks!**

**And the reason this is kinda written old-fashioned is because it takes place in the olden times. Just trying to stay with the theme here. Sorry if you don't like it.**

**Please please please I would love some constructive criticism! Just tell me if I'm doing something wrong, or if I should change something. THANKS SO MUCH! **

**Now that we've got all that stuff out of the way, on to the story!**

* * *

Ian thought he might be scaring the servants.

It had been a week since he had made his journey to Saarstad and became an honorary Cahill, or something of the sort. Nobody noticed that he had snuck out at night, and the next day was pretty much the same as every other one. Well, almost.

Ian woke to a ray of sunlight shining in through his window. For a moment, Ian thought that the night had been just a bad dream, but taking a look at his dirty hair and body, he remembered everything.

Ian wasn't going to admit it to Amy or Dan, but the information they had told him scared him. To think that there was secret plot going on inside the castle, and he, Ian, was part of it.

Ian got up and crept towards his bathroom. He rung his bell for a bucket of hot water, and when it came, he doused himself. It felt good to be clean again, and the water somewhat cleared his brain. Ian remembered his mental note, to talk to the Captain Guard about his soldiers.

After Ian was dressed and his hair un-dirt-ified, he strolled out of his room and found his butler, Hamilton, waiting outside the door. "Where are you going, Sir Prince?" Hamilton asked suspiciously.

"Oh, just taking a walk. Do you, by chance, know where the Captain Guard's office is?"

Hamilton nodded slowly. "Off the dungeons. Would you like me to take you there, sir?"

"Please, thank you." Ian nodded. Hamilton gave Ian a long, searching look, and asked. "Are you feeling well, Prince Ian?"

"Quite well. Are you going to take me or not? Because if not, I'll just try and find my way there."

"No, sir. I'll take you there."

"Thank you Hamilton."

Hamilton led Ian to a corridor that Ian had never seen, and then down a flight of stairs. At the bottom, Ian almost gagged. There was thick, rotting moss hanging from the ceilings, and smell of decay. There was a small room next to the stairwell that was smaller than Ian's shoe closet and considerably smaller than Natalie's. Ian had to duck to fit in the doorway. Inside, an unshaven man stood to his feet, or tried to, since he could stand up no better than Ian. "My Prince, I am honored. How may I serve you?"

Ian cleared his throat. The smell was really disgusting. "Are you the Captain Guard?"

The man nodded. "That's me, sir."

"I've had some disturbing accounts about some of your guards. They have not been alert at their posts. They've let troublemakers slip through their fingers. I need not warn you that if you do not straighten them up, your job is at stake. Understand?"

The man nodded hastily and sat back down again. "Clear as crystal, Prince Ian."

"Thank you….." Ian looked at the name etched into the stone desk, "..Rupert. Good, then. That's settled."

Captain Rupert beamed at being recognized. Ian wanted to tell him that he had his name etched into his desk, but then decided against it. Ian was about to leave when he turned back to the Captain and said, "Rupert, would you like a new office?"

Captain Rupert immediately brightened up. "Really, sir?"

Ian nodded. "Really. We have some nice vacant rooms up in the east wing that I'm sure you would enjoy. And you can keep an eye on the guards on the gate. Would that suit you, Captain?"

"Oh, oh yes, yes sir!" Rupert stammered. "That would be….wow! Thanks so much, Prince Ian!"

"Remember," Ian cautioned, "keep an eye on your soldiers. That's all I ask. Maybe you can hire Under-captains or something to work for you so you don't have to be two places at once."

Captain Rupert looked at Ian with a newfound respect. "Well, that's brilliant, sir. I'll start appointing them right away, sir. Right away."

Ian nodded, trying to appear businesslike. "Very good, Captain. I'm very busy at the present, but I think I should be able to find you a suitable room by tomorrow. I will inform the Queen about your new office. Good day." Then, Ian turned on his heels and left the room, with Hamilton following close behind.

Once they were out of the dungeons and Ian could breathe again, he turned to Hamilton. "Could you please find someone to clean out a room in the East wing? Also, have them furnish it with a large desk, rug, side table, sofa; the works. They can get the furniture in the basement storage. They have my permission."

Hamilton gave a quick bow. "And where can I find you when I have carried out your orders, my lord?"

Ian thought for a moment, and then answered, "The arena. I need to brush up on my swordplay." And, ignoring the incredulous look on Hamilton's face, Ian walked towards his chambers.

When he was dressed in a long sleeved white shirt and brown breeches with a red and gold belt adorned with the family crest, Ian walked out of his room and outside. Even for someone who didn't appreciate nature, like Ian, he had to admit that it was a beautiful day. He hiked out across the grounds and made his way towards the sword arena.

Once he got there, he could hear the sounds of metal clanging against metal and saw that his sword master, a man of about 25 named Ignus, was dueling against a huge bulky soldier. The soldier had a longer sword AND a shield and armor ; Ignus only had a regular sized sword. They were both blunted. Ian sat down in the stands to watch the game.

The soldier tried to swipe Ignus off his feet, but Ignus was too fast. He ducked underneath the soldier and a chink in the armor. The soldier growled and tried to knock his sword into Ignus, but Ignus rolled underneath the man and "stabbed" him in the knee. Then, he jumped on the giant's back and held on as the soldier tried to shake him off. Not that heroic, but the strategy worked. Ignus soon had his sword at the other man's throat. The other man laughed and threw his arms in the air. "Why do I even bother, Ignus? You are like a salamander; impossible to catch! Maybe I will come back next week, maybe."

Ignus nodded, panting. "Have a good journey, Lord Calamouth." Then he saw Ian. "Why, Prince Ian! I did not see you there."

"Can….can you teach me how to do that? What you just did to Lord Calamouth?"

Ignus looked at Ian warily. "I will admit, Prince, that this is a surprise. Since when did you take an interest in swordfighting?"

Ian shrugged. "I figured that a Prince should always be prepared." He didn't want to go into details about Casper Wyoming and the Cahills.

"Well, then, you are correct. You have a lot to learn if you are going to be as swift as a salamander." A quick smile escaped the swordmaster's lips.

The whole rest of the morning was spent in parries, feints, dodges, spins, and much more. By noon, Ian was soaked. He practically collapsed on the green grass. Ignus looked pleased, and he handed Ian a cup of water. "That was good. Very good."

"The same time tomorrow?" Ian asked, looking up at his instructor pleadingly.

Just then, the large clock in the arena chimed 12:00 noon. Ian scrambled to his feet frantically. "Lunch! Thanks so much, Ignus, but I've got to run!" Ian took off across the lawn and towards his room again.

On the way there, he met Hamilton. "Can you please find some clean clothes for me to wear to lunch? Also, have a maid prepare a bath for me." Hamilton nodded, and together, they hurried back to Ian's chambers. In exactly half an hour, he was sitting at his regular seat, hair wet, un-sweaty clothes on, and smelling fresh. The Queen took her seat, and Natalie plopped down in hers and continued her daily whining. "Mother, my maids are TERRIBLE! Just today they spilled the cranberry juice all over the floor! It took HOURS to clean up! Honestly, can't you choose better for ME?! Hello, the PRINCESS?!"

Isabel sighed. "Natalie, please don't yell. I shall deal with your problem as soon as I can. Right now I am a bit busy. I'm meeting with someone tonight, so please stay away from my office. It is a very important business conference from a Northern Lord. I'm sure he doesn't want to be disturbed by two little spoiled children."

"Oh, mother," Ian remembered. "I moved Captain Rupert's office from the dungeons to a room in the East wing."

Isabel's eyes burned. "You did…what?!"

"I figured you would be OK with it."

"No! No! I am NOT okay with it! At all! How dare you…you…"

"How dare I move someone's office? Mother, I'm the Prince! I'll be King in five months! I can give orders too!"

"But you didn't have my permission!"

"Well, then, I'll move it to the West wing, if you care so much!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I don't care where you put it! But fine, fine. Carry on."

Ian noted with curiosity that Isabel seemed to relax when he suggested the office go in the West wing. Whatever was going on in this castle, something had to do with the East wing.

And Ian was determined to find out.

But his birthday was months away, and he had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment.

After lunch, Ian went to the stables to find a messenger. He instructed the messenger to go and give a sack of gold coins to the old couple living at #1276 Penny Cottage near Saarstad, and tell them it was from the Prince. Ian hadn't forgotten the delicious bread that they had generously given him. The messenger looked at him like he was insane, but followed out the orders.

That evening, Ian crept out of his room and over to where The Queen's huge office was. The door was locked, but Ian could hear murmurs through a crack in the door. There was the Queens high, commanding voice…and…Yes! A man's deep one. Ian had no idea who it could be. After listening pointlessly for a few minutes, Ian left. He told Hamilton to ask a guard if he had seen anyone entering the castle. The guard said no.

Ian went to sleep with questions jumping around in his head.

The rest of the week went in the same way as the first day had gone. Ian had long sword fighting lessons each morning, and had Hamilton give him a tour of the whole castle in the afternoon. In the evenings, Ian went searching around the East wing for anything that might be helpful to the Cahills, like clues. **A/N: Hahaha, clues. Cahills. I just realized that as soon as I wrote it.** Nothing happened, but Ian was still suspicious about the Queen's mysterious visitor. How did he get into and out of the castle? Who was he really? More and more questions kept piling up, and Ian, unfortunately, had no answers.

Yet.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you all. And if anyone's on Google Plus, PM me! I'm doing this contest with my friend Rebecca to see who can have the most friends that aren't completely random on Google Plus, and so far I'm wining by one person (thank you Gentiles for having six kids!) Please help this very noble cause! :D Also if anyone has snapchat...**

**addicted2reading9:**

**Yeah...totaaallly brotherly feelings. NOT! Well, I guess maybe they are NOW, but don't worry. Amian will prevail! :)**

**The Gone Angel:**

**This IS kinda different that most Prince and the Peasent stories...for the better or the worse i'm not sure. :) But it also has some of the same scenes as this book I read called Bitterblue. (don't read it, its not very good. But one or two scenes are awesome) And some of my names are also weird...WHAT?! It's hard to come up with Medieval names!**

**demigod39cluesfan**

**"Ewewewweweeeewwww...Jamy...ewewwwew" My feelings exactly. Sorry all you Jamy fans *cough cough Paris/Jane* but I tried to make Jake as creepy as possible. And...more creepiness coming up next! Amian will prevail!**

**AmiaNatan4ever:**

**Yes, Al Pal, you shall be sarcastic. And don't worry, everyone who reviewed will be a Cahill. :)And Josh Son of Ares just PMed me asking about Watermelon on a Fork. I almost died laughing. WATERMELON ON A FORK FOREVER! And you come in...soon. Very, very, soon... :D**

**xxrxuxsxtxyx**

**Was that even a sentence? :) And yes, I ship Amian! (who doesn't?) And your predictions were correct...Casper will come up later he playes a really big role. Sorry, Cheyenne, you don't really play that big of a role. Suck it! And I tried to make Jake as repulsive as possible so that you'll hate him even more. He's about to get even more gross, and you'll hate him even more! ;)**

**And BTW: I took out all of the x's in your name and it spelled Rusty. It that just coincidental...or not?**

**Agent Get Ian and Amy Together**

**OOOh, good idea! I wasn't going to originally kill Jake, but maybe he can just fall off a cliff or something. *push* Oops, sorry Jake! Didn't see you there! :D Thanks for reviewing! :)**

**Thank you, everyone. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! BYE BYE!**


	6. The Festival of Lights

**'ello, and I'm back! Sorry about not posting in a while! *grins sheepishly* I've been pretty busy. Thanks to all those people who reviewed! **

**I hope you enjoy! There are some nice little Amian sparks! :D**

On Saturday, Ian decided to go visit the Cahills on Cully Street.

Isabel was going to be out that night, and Natalie was visiting a friend from school. The castle would be silent. Perfect for Ian to do his work.

Ian feigned a stomachache and told all his servants to stay away from his room for the rest of the night. And then he also told Hamilton to leave and go to his own rooms. With them out of the way, Ian grabbed the peasant clothes that he had worn and snuck out into the stables, hiding in the dark shadows. He chose a plain black horse that probably no one would miss, and rode out of the castle gates. It was pitch black all around the cottages surrounding the city, but when he entered the city, there were lights everywhere. Lanterns were strung from every window and there were people in the streets dancing and laughing and drinking. It was like one huge party that everyone in the whole city was invited to.

Ian maneuvered his way through the crowds to Cully Street, and was surprised to find that there was a party going on there as well, though not as big. There was a band playing music, and lots of people who all seemed to know each other. Three girls were laughing together and trying to pour water on one another's heads. Ian spotted Dan and hurried over to him.

"Dan! What's going on here?"

Dan whirled around and his hand was halfway to his knife when he saw that it was just Ian. He dropped his hand. "What are you doing here, Cobra?"

"I came with some information. I didn't know that there would be…whatever this is."

"It's the festival of lights, dummy! Everyone knows that!"

"Well, everyone except for me. So could you please tell me what it is?"

Dan sighed. "The festival of lights is an annual festival that is celebrated in all of Eraweth," he started, talking slowly as if Ian was slightly deaf or stupid. "All the people on your street get together and have big parties and dances. It's only a peasant festival though. The lords and ladies don't celebrate it," Dan snorted. "They're too 'high and mighty' to converse with us commoners."

Ian nodded. "But I thought you Bookkeepers were kind of secluded fro everyone else?"

"Yes, but we do have parties. What do you think we do for fun, Cobra?"

Ian wanted to say that he thought they were just content to hunt down elusive bad guys, but he constrained himself. "You invited all the Bookkeepers? I didn't know there were so….many of you."

"These aren't just Bookkeepers. Most of them are Cahills who live close by. There's the Ekats living to the North of here, Janus living to the East, Tomas living to the West, and Lucian living to the South. Those are our four main branches, and they're stationed around the city of Saarstad."

Ian frowned. "But what are you and Amy and Jake and the other Bookkeepers?"

"Madrigals. The smallest yet awesomest group. We're more like the peace-makers of the Cahills, we keep peace between the four main groups."

"Oh. So you keep peace by killing Vespers? Interesting strategy."

"Shut up, Cobra. Let me introduce you to some main people that you should know."

Ian followed Dan over to the snacks table, where Amy and her boyfriend, Jake, were seated. Dan turned to Amy. "Hey sis. Look who slithered their way here tonight."

Amy looked up, surprised. "Oh, hi….Agent. Do you have some news?"

"Sort of." Ian took a seat facing the couple. Dan left abruptly, leaving an awkward silence hanging over the threesome. Amy took Jake's hand. "Agent, this is Jake Rosenbloom. We mentioned him to you, I think."

Ian nodded curtly at Jake. "And Jake," Amy continued, "this is …Agent."

Jake raised his dark eyebrows. "His name is 'agent'?"

"I chose to withhold my name," Ian responded. Jake's lips curved into a smirk. Amy probably sensed Jake was going to make some scathing retort, and she gripped Jake's hand even tighter. "Jake, let's go ask the band to start the dance music, 'kay?" Then, shooting an apologetic glance over her shoulder at Ian, she led Jake over towards the band. Jake gave Ian one last glare, as if trying to show who was boss, and followed Amy.

Ian leaned back in his chair, glad that Jake and Amy were gone. He definitely hadn't liked Jake at all, and Amy was queer, different from other girls that he knew. Ian wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

For some reason, Ian found himself staying at the party, even though it was obvious from Dan, Amy, and Jake's actions that he wasn't wanted. He would lurk in the shadows and listen to snippets of conversation. He found the soft glow of candles strangely calming. He attracted a few odd looks, but for the most part, nobody bothered him.

From his place by the wall, Ian could observe all the dancers. He saw Amy standing behind Jake, who was talking to some of his buddies. Jake was grabbing cup after cup of some kind of amber-colored beer and laughing and burping with two large men around his age. Amy looked bored out of her mind, and kept asking Jake if he wanted to dance. Jake would always hold up his hand as if to say, "In a moment." Ian gave a light laugh and focused on Dan, who was pretty much doing the same thing as Ian; hiding in the shadows and hoping nobody asked him to dance. What wallflowers.

A few moments later, Ian noticed some commotion. Amy and Dan were leaning over….someone, with everyone else whispering excitedly. A lady said to her husband, "He just keeled over! Right like that! It was dreadful!" Three girls were whispering in the corner and laughing.

Ian detached himself from the wall and hurried over. "Excuse me, pardon me, ma'am." He shoved his way to Dan's side, and saw that his suspicions had been right.

Jake Rosenbloom was passed out on the ground, a cup in his limp arm. Amy looked, worried, at Dan. "Will he be all right?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "No, Amy, he's going to die from food poisoning. Of course he's all right! We just need to bring him inside and place him in the guest bedroom. He'll be out for the rest of the night. And will wake up with a horrible hangover." Dan smiled happily. "He'll feel horrible!"

Ian put his hand on Da's shoulder. "I'll help carry him inside."

Dan started. "Cobra! What are you still doing here?"

Ian sighed. "Do you want me to help, or not?"

Dan pressed his lips together and looked at Amy. She shrugged. "OK, fine," Dan assented. Ian grabbed Jake's feet and Dan grabbed his head, and they proceeded to drag Jake inside. Ian noticed that Dan took care to bonk Jake's head on the stairs. Ian didn't think that was such a bad idea.

After Ian and Dan finished disposing of the fainted Madrigal, Dan turned to Ian. "Cobra, can I ask you a favor?"

Ian raised his eyebrows. "It depends on the favor. Maybe I will, if you agree to stop calling me Cobra."

"Amy doesn't have a partner to dance with, and I was wondering if you could dance with her? I don't want her sitting out because her suckish boyfriend got drunk. Please? She's too good to sit out the dances, and I don't want any of Jake's friends asking her. She's so sweet, she would just say yes so she wouldn't 'hurt their feelings.'"

Ian nodded slowly. "OK, I will. But your sister's stronger than you think. She can handle herself, Dan. I know she can."

Dan sighed. "Maybe your right. But thanks anyway."

Once they were back outside, Ian went up to Amy, who was sitting on a bench with her head in her hands. He sat down next to her. "Hey, Amy."

Amy looked up. "Oh, hi, Agent," she said in a strangled voice. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just that…..well, this is my favorite festival, and I was really excited to dance. I guess there's no chance of that happening now."

"Well, actually, I could dance with you, if you'd like."

Amy looked up hopefully. "Really? You would do that?"

"Well, I know I'm no Jake," Ian replied dryly, "but I don't have a partner either. And I'm a pretty good dancer, if I do say so myself."

Amy stood. Ian was shocked to find that he noticed her dress was the exact same shade as her eyes. Jade green. They seemed to bare into Ian's skin, tugging at his secrets. Trying to figure him out.

Ian extended his hand to Amy, and she took it. Her hand was small and pale, and fragile, as if he squeezed too hard, it might break. He led her to the floor right as the band started a slow waltz.

They started to dance.

Amy was light on her feet and an amazing dancer. Her feet barely touched the floor as she and Ian stepped and twirled. Her green dress swished around her ankles as they turned. Her curly red hair was done in some sort of up-do, where it was collected at the top of her head with strands coming down around her face. They bounced around, and Ian had to restrain his fingers from reaching out and feeling them. They were so…..exotic.

Ian gave himself a mental shake. Why was he acting so weird? This was stupid.

Amy smiled at him. "You're really good!"

Ian shrugged modestly. "I've had lots of practice."

After a few bars of music, Amy and Ian were starting to attract lots of attention from Cahills. They were nodding and pointing and gathering around to watch. Amy noticed and smiled again at Ian. "Look at everyone. They're impressed with your dancing."

Ian shook his head. "No, my dancing's mediocre, at the most. They're admiring YOUR'S."

Amy laughed. "Well, they never watch when I'm dancing with Jake."

There was an awkward pause. Amy blushed, and Ian admired how her cheeks turned pink. "Look, about Jake, I'm sorry he was rude to you. He's not usually like this."

Ian nodded. "It's OK. It's hard to feel angry at the guy, since at the moment he's lying in a bed with bruises all over his head instead of having the pleasure of dancing with you."

Amy looked down and blushed again. "He…...Jake doesn't like to dance."

Ian twirled Amy. "Then he has no idea what he's missing."

Amy smiled. "Thanks," she murmured.

They danced the last stanzas in silence. When they finished, the crowd around them started clapping enthusiastically. There were compliments being thrown at them from everyone, and they were all amazed at how light on their feet both Amy and 'Agent' were.

The next dance was a livelier one, and Ian had no time to talk to Amy. After that, Ian danced one with a girl names Dylan, while Amy danced it with Dylan's partner, Josh. The next dance was another fast one, and so was the one after that. Ian was starting to get annoyed.

After the second fast dance, people started heading home. It was getting quieter and quieter. The final song was starting. Ian looked around for Amy.

Suddenly, the sounds of boots were heard echoing around the street. Most of the people looked around in confusion, but Ian knew what it meant.

Guards from the castle were making their rounds.

What if one of them knew Ian? What if they recognized him? Ian could not let that happen. Quickly, he ducked into Amy and Dan's book shop, which was just next to him.

The sound of boots was coming closer and closer. Ian stepped behind a shelf and squeezed his eyes shut. A few moments later, he could hear the soldiers leaving. He stepped out from behind the bookshelves, and found himself face to face with Amy.

"Oh, um, Amy!" he sputtered. "I was just, well, uh,"

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Hiding from the guards?"

Ian nodded, slowly. "Y-yes," he replied cautiously.

Amy sighed. "Look, what's going on here? You're not telling us something, I know that. But I want to know. I want to know _you_."

Ian turned his head. "I have to go."

"Fine. Go. But you are going to tell us sometime, right?"

Ian thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes. You will find out when everything's over. But no sooner."

Amy nodded, resigned. "I trust you, I really do. I would trust you with my life, if I had to. I can tell that you're a good person. But just tell me one thing. You're not really a palace baker, are you?"

Ian smiled. "You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for, Amy Cahill. I was enchanted to dance with you tonight. I hope I have the pleasure of doing so again." And with those elusive words, Ian escaped into the night.

**That DEFINES Ian. ELUSIVE. Perfect. Anyways, I think that Ian acted a lot like Mr. Darcy in this chapter, how about you guys?**

**OK, so here are my replies to the reviews. I would just PM them back…..but I'm too lazy. Here goes-**

**Demigod39cluesfan:**

**Haha! Watermelon on a Fork! I have finally decided to release the story and it's on my profile. :) And Ian KINDA beats up Jake…kinda. But he does beat up someone else….you'll see who. ;) *wink wink***

**And YOU NEED TO UPDATE YOUR WONDERLAND STORY! You left ud hanging and now ive been in suspense for WEEKS! :) **

**AmianNatan4ever:**

**Yes, I did read Jealous Jake. I'm glad PJ has changed her Jamying ways. *sigh of relief* Hmmm..Jamying. Is that even a word?**

**Well, NOW IT IS! : )**

**Addicted2reading9:**

**First of all, I always love reading your reviews. They're so long! : )**

**Hmm…Watermelon on a Fork. Now that was memorable. You can look at the story on my profile. : ) It might be a little biased, but oh well. And yeah, ****_something evil lurks in the west wing._**** Well, kind of. You'll find out her plot soon enough. *evil cackle* And hahaha, I wish you could actually shoot Jake for real, but unfortunately, he is just a fictional character. Of course you could always rip out all the pages in the book that mention his name…..OHMIGOSH! BRB! **

**Sunnycanary**

**Your name rocks! Sorry, just had to say that.**

**And yes…the person meeting with Isabel is a vesper. A Vesper we've all come to know and love…..NOT! : ) You'll find out who it is later.**

**Mollyhunt0****:**

**Thanks! I've never had someone be in love with my story before! :D Haha, that's funny that you have them all with British accents in your head. Like whenever I hear someone singing that stupid Barbie song, I imagine it sing by really high pitched voices. Although I hope my story is a little bit better than the Barbie song…..**

**Xxrxuxsxtxyx:**

**Yes! I knew it! I KNEW that it wasn't a coincedince that if you take out all the xs in your name it spells rusty! And it took me a while to notice. I FEEL LIKE A LUCIAN! Wait, that's because I AM a Lucian. Although I think of myself as more of a Janus. If you check out my profile pic you can tell. : )**

**The Gone Angel:**

**Yes, Ian is being all responsiblelike. :D Hmmm, maybe just living in the "olden days" made Amy lose her stutter and become all strong and stuff. I mean, I would have to be really strong to go to the bathroom in a pot and then throw the pot out my window! Cuz that's what they did back then, I'm pretty sure. *shudder* Or maybe….she has a mysterious past….hmmmmm**

**Otakusofia:**

**Yes….I am the infamous ZOE! At least, that's how my sisters introduce me to their friends. "Here, meet my sister, the infamous Zoe!" And um, YES, I would love to join you and Allison for brownies…..I LOVE BROWNIES! Actually, I just love sugar in general. :D**

**Awesomesaucum:**

**Wow, Abby. Thanks for the long, in-depth review. :P C u at skool! (which is I four weeks! Yikes!)**

**SpartanElite300:**

**Wow, thanks! I've been trying to update lots, but I've just been SO BUSY! : ( And there are quite a few Natan fics out there if you look hard enough, but not as many as Amian. And I like your idea of Dan doing some spying for himself. I might actually use that….. thanks! :D**

**Love you all! Thanks for reading! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!**

**!**

**Love,**

**iheartamianplusnatan (Perry the Platypus) (Voldemort) (Jedi Master) (Zoe O. E.)**


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